Gervinho the driving force as Arsenal win ugly against Olympiakos in Champions League

It was Brad Gilbert, the former coach of tennis great Andre Agassi, who first
coined the phrase 'winning ugly’. That ability to grind out a result
even when you are performing well below your best is a priceless attribute
in any sport but, in English football, it is difficult to think of a club
less associated with this particular quality than Arsenal.

Winning habit: Arsenal have learnt how to grind out resultsPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

And it is why, even after their least convincing performance of a season that has begun with surprising promise, Arsène Wenger was entitled to take considerable solace from a rare victory of grit rather than fluency.

Steve Bould, who knows a thing or two about winning ugly from his time at Arsenal under George Graham, accurately described this as a match Arsenal had “ground out”.

In that regard, Arsenal’s efforts were best encapsulated by Gervinho, their makeshift centre-forward, whose deficiencies in composure were again mitigated by his sheer energy and effort.

He scored Arsenal’s first and created their second before being substituted to a standing ovation from an Emirates crowd who, over the past year, have more often been exasperated by his performances. Between them, Gervinho and Podolski have scored nine times this season — one more than Robin van Persie’s tally for Manchester United.

This second successive victory in the Champions League has taken Arsenal two points clear in Group B following Schalke’s 2-2 home draw with Montpellier. Significantly, Wenger was denied the chance to recall Per Mertesacker after the German fell ill yesterday morning. Wenger had attempted to lessen that loss by pairing two defensive-minded central midfielders in Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta but it was clear that Mertesacker’s physical presence and organisational skills were missed.

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Wenger has admitted that he finds it harder to watch a match from the stands than the dugout and, in serving the second of his three-match Uefa touchline ban from the directors’ box, he was engaged in prolonged conversation with Roy Hodgson, the England manager.

Hodgson later sought out Kieran Gibbs after his impressive performance at left-back and will have taken a particular interest in Arsenal’s right-sided combination of Carl Jekinson, who is also eligible for Finland, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The majority of Arsenal’s initial threat derived from that flank although the first serious sight of goal was from a dipping Santi Cazorla free kick that was acrobatically tipped over by Balazs Megyeri.

Vito Mannone, his opposite number, was quickly involved for unwanted reasons when his misdirected clearance gift-wrapped Olympiakos a chance. His inability to locate a team-mate was soon spreading and made for a strangely disjointed first-half during which Olympiakos should have taken the lead.

Giannis Maniatis had broken behind Arsenal’s defence and, in meeting his cross, the gap between Jenkinson and Laurent Koscielny was exploited by Paulo Machado.

It was a free shot from inside the six-yard box but, fortuitously for Arsenal, he scooped his half volley over the bar. With half-time looming, the finishing from both teams suddenly clicked. Cazorla produced a moment of wonderful skill to create space down the left, with the ball eventually finding Gervinho on the edge of the Olympiakos penalty area. Gervinho glanced up, shifted quickly to his right and then cleverly arrowed his shot back across Megyeri and into the corner of the goal.

Arsenal, though, could maintain their lead for only three minutes. Leandro Greco had time to deliver a perfectly flighted cross between Koscielny and Vermaelen, with Kostas Mitroglou glancing his header past Mannone.

It can be safely assumed that some home truths were delivered at half-time by Bould with Arsenal emerging with more purpose. Gervinho again darted into space but his cross was directed wide by Cazorla.

Gervinho, though, was rewarded for his admirable persistence when he punished hesitancy in the Olympiakos defence to fashion a similar chance for Podolski. The former Cologne striker collected the ball with his back to goal but, in showing his obvious goalscoring instinct, quickly shot through a cluttered penalty area and between the legs of an embarrassed Megyeri.

Having taken the lead for a second time, Arsenal became resolute in defending their advantage. Olivier Giroud, a second-half substitute, had two shots blocked and, with Olympiakos pouring forward, Aaron Ramsey delivered a chipped finish to place some gloss on the scoreline with virtually the last kick of the match.